Attention: 5th Grade Students interested in Band or Strings!
Instrument rental from Milano’s Music will be held at the Show Low Junior High Green Room (Behind the auditorium) on Wednesday August 9th from 6:30-8:00 PM. If you are unable to attend, Majestic Music (by ROSS) in Show Low also rents out instruments.
Our school will be offering instruction on Violin, Cello, Trombone, Trumpet, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, and Percussion. These instruments are great for learning basic music theory and tone production.
I strongly recommend renting an instrument for a couple of reasons.
First, the rental price goes toward the purchase of the instrument.
Second, anytime there is a problem with the instrument Majestic Music will replace it with another one.
Lastly, the instruments are good quality.
Too often I have seen students come to school with an instrument purchased on Amazon which is of poor quality, doesn’t work well, then breaks and cannot be repaired.
I look forward to making music with your students this year!
Questions? Drop me a line at suzanne.decker@showlow.education
Thank you for all of your support!
Suzanne Decker, NHES Music
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NHES Band & Strings - Fall 2023
Available for 5 th graders
The Nikolaus Homestead Elementary Band exists to teach the 5 th grade musician
basic instrument skills, musical notation reading, and how to play in a cooperative
music setting. Participants are expected to have strong attendance, positive
behavior and consistent academics. All students will be required to rent their
own instrument and purchase necessary materials including the appropriate
Level 1 Essential Elements instrument book.
Orchestra (violin & cello):
● Monday recess – 7:15-7:55am
● Begins Monday, August 14th, 2023
● Remember to purchase and bring your book and rosin.
Woodwinds (flute, clarinet, alto sax):
● Tuesday recess – 7:15-7:55am
● Begins Tuesday, August 15th, 2023
● Remember to purchase and bring your book, reeds, and sanitizing spray.
Brass (trumpet, trombone):
● Wednesday recess – 7:15-7:55am
● Begins Wednesday, August 16th, 2023
● Remember to purchase and bring book and sanitizing spray.
Percussion:
● Thursday recess – 7:15-7:55am
● Begins Thursday, August 17th, 2023
● Remember to bring your book along with your drum pad and sticks.
*Students will be expected to commit to playing their instruments
through an entire semester. Please do not allow your student to “drop
out” when it gets difficult. Playing an instrument requires consistent
practice. Your student will not play well only coming to one rehearsal a
week. They MUST practice at home.
Please return the permission slip on page 2 of this document. Thank you.
If you have questions please contact me, Mrs. Decker, at NHES (928) 537-6150.
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NHE Band & Strings Permission Slip
My student wants to participate in NHES Band/Strings. I understand participation is
based on attendance, behavior, and effort. I agree to purchase all required materials
and to transport them to any full band/string rehearsals that are scheduled on
Friday mornings (Once a month starting in September).
__________________________________________________________________________________
Student name Classroom teacher – Grade
_________________________________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Name Cell Phone #
Student Instrument Choice: ______________________________________________________________
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NHES Music Grading Policy
At this time music is a participation course. All students begin each quarter with 100 points. Grades are given based on three areas; Attendance, Participation, and Behavior. I track these areas on class seating charts and determine quarterly grades by assessing students in these three categories.
Attendance - I do not check the office weekly on 400+ students to determine if a student has an excused absence. I normally only inquire at the office if students have been absent excessively. It is difficult for students to learn music content if they are frequently gone from class as I normally see them once a week for 40 minutes. Absences usually result in a 3 point deduction each time.
Participation -
Students are not expected to be musical geniuses (however they might be!) but I do expect them to try their best at whatever we are doing. If students are unwilling to engage with the activity we are doing, this usually results in a 5 point deduction from their grade.
Behavior - Students are expected to be safe, respectful, and responsible during music class. If a student needs to be reminded more than once during class to correct a behavior it results in a 5 point deduction. If a student needs three or more re-directions it is a 10 point deduction. Extreme cases are referred to school administration for review.
A: 90-100% -
student has 0-2 absences
student achieves tasks all or most of the time
student exhibits a high-level of participation
follows direction and contributes to music class, needs little, if any, redirection
B: 80-89% -
student has 3-4 absences
student achieves tasks sometimes or less than half of the time
student exhibits a moderate level of participation
Follows directions and contributes to music class, may make some behavior choices that need to be redirected
C: 70-79% -
Student has 5 absences (may also result in “no grade” for the quarter)
student chooses not to perform tasks on two separate occasions
student needs frequent reminders to participate and follow directions
student makes poor behavior choices that result in consequences
D: 60-69%-
Student has missed more than half of classes (6-7 absences) resulting in an incomplete grade (exempt)
student frequently chooses not to perform tasks
student does not participate, follow directions or contribute to class
student repeatedly makes poor behavior choices that result in consequences.
Extra Credit: I have provided several opportunities for students to receive extra credit in music class. We have several before school clubs (recorder, chorus, keyboards, ukulele) as well as band and orchestra for fifth graders during lunch recess. These are all excellent opportunities to earn extra points toward their music grade. Normally students are awarded 5 points per club, per quarter.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly.
Thank you! -Mrs. Decker
